which keyboard to buy??

[Amanda]

Hey all you crazy muso's out there!!

I Need to buy a keyboard. YAY!!
1. portable for gigging,
2. reliable and strong in case it gets knocked around a bit
3. good action (I really like the kawai feel) 4. but also good sounds for stage.
5. MIDI for recording onto PC

Any inspiration for me??? Thanks! AManda

[kilroy]

Is this mostly for piano/electric piano type sounds, or are you interested in a wide compliment of synth oriented sounds as well? What sort of music will you be playing?

I assume, since you mention you like the feel of a Kawai, that you would prefer a weighted, piano type action with 88 keys. Is the heft of the keyboard an issue? A weighted action will be heavier, and to some degree good build quality can mean a bit of extra heft.

And then there is your budget to consider.

[thecontrolcentre]

Novation XioSynth


NOVATION-CLASS SYNTHESIZER WITH NEW FEATURES
The XioSynth features a mono-timbral Novation synth engine with 8-voice polyphony. In addition to 3 oscillators (17 waveforms each), 1 Filter (varying types), 2 LFOs (32 waveforms each), an arpeggiator and multi-effects board, this subtractive synth also boasts some brand new facilities such as the X-Gator patch programmer. The X-Gator can be made to gate each patch to create unique 16-32 step rhythmic patterns for every onboard sound, all automatically synchronised to MIDI clock from a sequencer; just press and hold one key to groove along to a track with style.

NOVATION SOUND OLD AND NEW - HIGH PROFILE USER PATCHES
The XioSynth features 200 hard-hitting onboard patches, utilising a new optional filter distortion to produce an even greater range of sounds than on previous synths; from the distinctive clean British sound to the filthiest and grittiest of sonic characters. Furthermore, 60 of the onboard sounds come from internationally acclaimed artists and producers from a variety of musical genres, namely James Zabiela, Ferry Corsten, Rennie Pilgrem, Roots Manuva, Shimon and Skeewiff. As such, every one of the patches on the XioSynth is eminently and instantly usable for creating synthesized music of any kind.

HIGH QUALITY AUDIO INTERFACE
The XioSynth includes an ultra-low latency 2 In/2 Out audio interface for high quality recording and playback. This allows you to record a microphone with phantom power, as well as simultaneously stream the onboard synth audio directly to the sequencer via the USB cable. Equally though, a guitar can be plugged straight into the Jack input for DI recording, as well as simultaneously mic'd, and recorded with outstanding results. Check the demo XioSynth guitar track in the Novation online player to be blown away by the quality.

FLEXIBLE MIDI CONTROLLER - OF SOFTWARE OR HARDWARE
If wanting a compact controller keyboard for studio or live use, the XioSynth is the most flexible and powerful tool on the market. In addition to synthesizing and audio/MIDI interfacing, the keyboard is also a comprehensive control surface with 11 knobs and buttons (doubled to 22 by a Group A/B switch), plus a freely assignable Touchpad and joystick. All of these controls are pre-programmed in 16 onboard Templates, so that the XioSynth can instantly control many software applications straight out the box. Add to this many more Templates online, a free Template Editor software application and hybrid modes for simultaneous synthesizing and MIDI controlling, and you have an extremely versatile package for producing or performing.

HIGHLY PORTABLE
Simply connecting the keyboard over USB is all that's required to start recording, synthesizing and MIDI controlling. As the device is class compliant, no drivers are required for Windows XP or Mac OSX (although some are provided to improve latency and stability in some apps). Furthermore, if wanting to excape the confines of the studio for a while, the USB cable can be unplugged and the XioSynth can be powered by batteries, functioning as a standalone synth completely separately from the computer.

[Amanda]

Yeah Kilroy - good ability to read between the lines!! It does need to be weighted, and 88 keys. Realistic grand/piano sounds most important. Other Hammond, and rhodes type sounds would be sweet too.

I'm looking at Roland RD 700 but a bit $y. Haven't played one yet though.

Yeah - good action seems to mean heavy to lug around. I guess you've just got to figure out whats most important to you!!

[XDVarenkor]

Yamaha P70 - cheap, light, solid for its type, 88 key+weighted+scaled, a handful of excellent sounds (2 nice grands, Rhodes, Hammond), and a *really* nice playing feel (grand piano is to die for...)

[MTMMike]

I've had a play on the RD-700SX and really like the feel, if you can justify the price it's definitely worth finding one to try out.

Free Review here;
http://www.musictechmag.co.uk/mtm/reviews/rd-700sx-1

Mike

[kilroy]

Yeah Kilroy - good ability to read between the lines!! It does need to be weighted, and 88 keys. Realistic grand/piano sounds most important. Other Hammond, and rhodes type sounds would be sweet too.

I'm looking at Roland RD 700 but a bit $y. Haven't played one yet though.

Yeah - good action seems to mean heavy to lug around. I guess you've just got to figure out whats most important to you!!

Ok Amanda, I would say take a look at the Kawai MP4 as well as the Roland. For me it is between these two. Both are quite good, but different. Personally, I find the MP4 response more to my particular liking...the dynamics response just feel nicer under my hands, it is very expressive, and works well with the piano sound. The MP4 action is a bit heavier than the RD, though I would not regard it as too heavy. The MP4 action suits my aggressive playing style better, but this is something that can only be determined by the individual player.

Sound wise, in my experience the MP4 seems to have more torque in a live band setting...more muscular, more authority, if that makes any sense. I find the basic RD piano to be a bit brighter in general, but possibly not seeming to have quite the same "sticking" power if there is alot of band sound to punch through...there seems to be less weight behind the note to carry it on. In the context of a more passive band setting this will not be as critical. As far as recording is concerned, I still prefer the MP4. It seems to have a bit more natural depth and realism, though again, this is a highly subjective and personal opinion.

The MP4 is much less expensive, but then it has fewer sounds, giving you a rather reasonable compliment of good sounds, some of which you may not have a use for. I use the acoustic piano and Rhodes sound mostly, as I prefer to use other instruments for organ and synth tones. I will sometimes layer my old MKS-20 piano module with the MP4 for some extra smash, as it has both excellent punch and dynamic response. Both boards have good build quality, but the MP4, due partly to the sloped shape of it's top panel, is very stiff. However, this sloped design will mean having to get a specially sized hard shell case to account for the extra height. I am not certain of the exact weight of these two boards, but to me the MP4 feels a bit lighter to carry round.

Anyroad, all this lot is really no substitute for getting your own hands on these, but it might help steer you a bit. If you could find a sympathetic store that would allow you to trial these for a gig or two that really gives you the best feedback you could hope for. Usually when they see you are serious about purchasing something from them they will bow to your wishes. If I run into a bit of a sticky wicket I just bribe them with some home made wine and that usually does the trick.



*Editing to clean up some red eyed, late night, semi conscious typos...I soooo need to sleep.*